Object Details
- Label Text
- This highly stylized mask in the form of a yam knife is only one character in Njenji, a large elaborate procession of male masqueraders who at the beginning of the dry season process from their home village to neighboring villages and back again. In part it marks the end of an initiation but also draws the community together in a time of plenty. The majority of the masqueraders depict the types of people that make up Afikpo society, past and present. The yam knife is the symbol for the farmer and the crop that sustains them all.
- Description
- Wood oval mask with three projecting cylinders and a curving hook shape that projects from the forehead back over the head. Mask is decorated with red, black and white pigment.
- Provenance
- Gaston deHavenon, New York, -- to 1981
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Igbo artist
- Date
- Mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Gift of Gaston deHavenon
- Medium
- Wood, pigment
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 27.9 x 11.1 x 14.3 cm (11 x 4 3/8 x 5 5/8 in.)
- Type
- Mask
